More than 3,100 people were convicted of drugs offences in the first ten months of this year.
Over 19% were in Dublin, but many rural areas also had large numbers.
According to new figures from the Courts Service, 3,104 people were convicted of drugs offences in various courts across the country between January and October.
That’s despite a slowdown in court activity this year due to the pandemic.
530 people were found guilty of possession of drugs for sale and supply, while 2,574 were convicted of the lesser offence of unlawful possession of drugs.
604 were found guilty of either offence in courts in Dublin, making up a fifth of the total.
And there were 317 convictions in Cork city.
However, many more regional areas throughout the country also had quite large numbers, including Portlaoise, with 330, and Carlow, Ennis, Clonmel, Cavan, Mullingar and Trim.
Sheelagh Brady, a security analyst and former Garda Sergeant, says the new figures show how widespread by the problem is.
She said: "Often when we're hearing about drugs problems we're hearing of it in the big urban centres.
"Looking at towns like Mullingar, Portlaoise, when you look at those figures you see that there is a wider distribution of the problem although it's not the same when you go to more rural areas, you can see the numbers are lower."
Justice Minister Helen McEntee says the Government is committed to a health-led approach to the misuse of drugs.
